Outer walls or roofs

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to improvements in such outer walls and roofs as are subjected to rain and moisture and comprise an inner set of metal sections (1A, 1B), which support mutually adjacent glass panels (2, 3) held to the inner sections (1A, 1B) by means of metallic cover strips (4A, 4B). These strips which are screwed into said inner sections (1) frame the panels and form junction or intersection points between themselves. To eliminate the leakage through the roof or wall to the greatest possible extent said inner sections (1A, 1B) are, at least within the area of the holding screws of the cover strips (4A, 4B), covered by at least one layer of a possibly fabric-reinforced foil (11, 12) of rubber, plastic or a similar ductile and tight material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to outer wall and roof construction systems, particularly to an improved wall construction system having a plurality of wall panels supported by a frame system, comprising an internal frame member for providing support for adjacently disposed wall panels, the frame member having a surface that defines a plane, an external cover member mounted on the frame member for securing the wall panels between the cover and frame member and having at least one centrally located fastener hole defined in the cover member, a fastener for attaching the cover to the frame member, and a sheet-like sealing member disposed in overlying supported relation on and substantially parallel to the plane of the frame member surface.

Systems of this kind are utilized inter alia in glass roofs and glass walls which become more and more common in the building branch. In such constructions great problems arise on account of leakage, above all in glass roofs. Rain and melting snow flow into the constructions and find their ways without control. The leakages are difficult to trace and expensive to remedy. Outdoor sealing devices are good, but sunshine, weather and wind wear the sealing material when it is exposed. Movements of the aluminium sections comprised in the constructions due to changes in temperature, yieldings of the building framework, and so on also cause leakage. Furthermore, these constructions are also internally subjected to condensation water from circulating air, since the constructions have to be aerated at the edges of the isolating glass; otherwise the guarantee of the manufacturers of the isolating glass will not be valid.

In an attempt to remedy these drawbacks one has in some instances in certain glass roof constructions internally provided the aluminium sections with "suspension cuts" on the underside of the sections for collecting leakage water; problems then arising in junctions and outlets.

Another attempt to solve these leakage problems is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,844,087, which relates to a glass roof with lead-away-channels for condensate at the upper portions of the purlings and rafters made of aluminium sections, adjacent the glass panels supported thereby.

Also in these known constructions sealing problems arise when the sections move mutually, and in addition hereto it is difficult to provide durable seals at junctions and intersections on account of the cuts provided in the sections.

Nor application of a sealing compound or rubber gaskets between the section ends and adjoining sections, which also has been tried, has given satisfactory results.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above circumstances the principal object of the invention is to provide a system of the kind in question by which durable sealing against rain, snow and other external moisture is accomplished in glass roofs, glass walls and similar constructions. This object is achieved by the wall construction system of the present invention which comprises an internal frame member for providing support for adjacently disposed wall panels, the frame member having a surface that defines a plane, an external cover member mounted on the frame member and having at least one centrally located fastener hole defined in the cover member, a fastener for attaching the cover to the frame member, and a sheet-like sealing member disposed in overlying supported relation on and substantially parallel to the plane of the frame member surface.

Accordingly, the sealing device in accordance with this invention is located in the interior of the construction, where it is not reached by the clerk of the weather, and the sealing device is so designed that the aluminium construction can move without damaging the seals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the system according to the invention will become apparent from the following description and the annexed drawings which diagrammatically and as non-limiting example illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a partial plan view of a glass roof or a glass wall, as from above or from the outside, respectively.

FIG. 2 view on line II--II in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on line III--III FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the drawings lA and lB designate inner, possibly supporting beams in the shape of box girders of aluminium or the like, which have rectangular cross section. The two sets of inner sections 1A and 1B, respectively, form together intersections in which one end of an inner section 1B abuts a longitudinal side of another inner section 1A, but the invention can, of course, be applied also to junctions of the type which will arise for instance when one of the profiles 1B in FIG. 2 is omitted.

The inner profiles 1A, 1B support, when an outer glass wall or a glass roof is concerned, triple pane glass windows, which comprise three glass sheets 2, which are hermetically tight interconnected by means of edge lists 3. The triple pane windows 2, 3 are held to the inner sections 1A, 1B by means of outer sections in the shape of cover strips 4A, 4B under the intermediary of screws or bolts 5, the inner end of which is threaded into a section 1 and/or spacers 6 which determine the interspace between the cover strips 4 and the sections 1. The spacers 6, through which the screws 5 can pass, are suitably made of plastic or the like and may either have the shape of sleeves or be comprised of more or less longitudinal blocks. 8 and 9 designates seals or gaskets, e.g. of rubber or silicone material, between the triple pane window 2, 3 and the inner sections 1 and the cover strips 4, respectively,.The internal space 10 between the glass pane windows 2, 3 which surrounds the spacers 6 is open towards the glass panes 2, 3 and has the purpose of allowing air to circulate and water to be drained out of the construction to the ambient air (not in-doors) through apertures in low points (not shown).

To solve the leakage problem and provide a durable seal in composite constructions of the kind in question there is utilized according to the invention strips, bands or similar larger or smaller pieces of a cloth or foil of rubber, plastic or an analogous tight and ductile material. These pieces which in the following are designated "strips of rubber or the like" independent of their shape and which possibly may be fabric or fibre reinforced, are designated with 11 and 12 in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The strips 11, 12 of rubber or the like are applied to the upper side (outside) of the inner sections 1A, 1B with extensive mutual overlappings at joining edges, junctions and the like before the mounting of glass windows 2, 3, spacers 6 and cover strips 4. The strips 11, 12 are then well protected against UV-radiation etc. The strips 11, 12 of rubber or the like may be losely applied or alternatively glued or vulcanized to its base or support (inner sections 1A, 1B and strip 12 in FIG. 2).

In FIGS. 2 and 3 it should be noted that those areas of the inner sections 1, which are covered by the strips 11, 12 of rubber or the like, are substantial-y plane and smooth, so that the strips may cross junctions and crevices planely at junction and intersection points and thereby seal even though the base moves. From FIGS. 2 and 3 it is also apparent that the strips 11, 12 of rubber or the like seal between the spacers 6 and the inner sections 1.

The strips 11, 12 of rubber or the like may have substantially the same extension as the inner sections 1 and even overlap these at the edges, even though this means a waste of strip material, since the essential thing is that the strips well cover crevices and the like at intersection and junction points. Even though the sealing means have been described as strips, they may be made e.g. cross-shaped (like "+") at intersection points or T-shaped at junction points, the ends of the inner sections 1, and so on.

The strips 11, 12 of rubber or the like may be applied in one or more layers, as is apparent from FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively. The thickness of the strips is suitably (comprised between 0,2 and 2,0 mm, preferably below 1,0 mm. 0,5 a0,7 mm has been found to be suitable.

The embodiment described above and illustrated in the drawings is, of course, to be regarded merely as a non-limiting example and may as to its details be modified in several ways within the scope of the following claims. In particular, the form, the material and the shape of the strips 11, 12 may deviate from the specifications given above as examples. Thus, if the strips are applied in two superimposed layers, they may be made of different material in the respective layers. Furthermore, the inner sections 1 and/or the cover strips 4 may be of another material, e.g. steel, copper, bronze or wood, than aluminium which has been presupposed above. Furthermore, the triple pane glass windows 2, 3 may within the scope of the invention be replaced by one or double pane glass windows or by plates or panels of a weather-durable (artifical) material, especially roofing tiles or facade panels of different kinds. 

What I claim is:
 1. An outer wall or roof construction system comprising:a plurality of wall panels; first and second internal frame members disposed inwardly of said wall panels for supporting said wall panels, each of said frame members having a surface facing said wall panels and that defines a plane, and said first and second frame members being disposed in abutting relation to each other so that said planes of the frame members define a common plane and said abutting frame members form a crevice therebetween; an external cover member disposed outwardly of said wall panels and in spaced apart relation to said frame members so that said wall panels are disposed between the cover member and said frame members; fastener means for securing the cover member to said frame members with said wall panels secured intermediately therebetween; and a sheet-like sealing member comprising a layer of a ductile sealing foil disposed substantially parallel to said common plane of said frame members and covering said crevice formed between said abutting frame members so as to form a weather-tight seal at said internal frame members.
 2. The construction system of claim 1, wherein the sheet-like sealing member has a cross-form configuration.
 3. The construction system of claim 1, wherein the sheet-like sealing member has a "T-shaped" configuration.
 4. The construction system of claim 1 wherein said frame members extend in discrete longitudinal directions.
 5. An outer wall or roof construction system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first and second frame members are disposed in substantially perpendicular relation to each other. 